The old nautical school observatory

A stone's throw from the city centre and the market, at Merikoski, you will find the Linnansaari Star Tower. It stands at the edge of the park, glowing in pastel colours. The atmospheric setting invites you to experience history over a cup of coffee - in the summer café, you sit on the repaired foundations of Oulu Castle, which was destroyed in the explosion of the gunpowder magazine in 1793! From the Star Tower, you can also see towards Pikisaari, where a stone bull flew during the "Oulu Pammaus". The stone is still in place on Pikisaari.

Built in 1875 on the basis of Wolmar Westling's drawings and already serving as a summer café since 1912, the Star Tower served as a school for maritime students and an observation tower in its early years. More than 200 sea captains graduated from the school.

In summer, the castle cellar invites you to visit an exhibition on the history of the castle. The secret passage from the castle island to the city has been searched for centuries - can you find it?

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